Chapter
Kady had no idea what she was doing, she only knew the thing that attacked couldn’t hurt them anymore.
The being had burst through the shield Black had told her to call up. This time she understood what to do, where the magic came from deep inside of her, and she’d expanded the shield to encompass them both, protecting them together.
When it passed through the barrier a thousand needles poked at her from the inside out.
Kady clearly saw the being, a dark shadowy liquid mercury, that reminded her of an angry genie out of its bottle. Almost as fast as it penetrated her shield, it began to dissipate, the fluid transforming into wisps of nothingness.
“Mother?” Black whispered, both pain and surprise lacing the word like poison.
The last part of the being to dissolve before their eyes was the face of an older woman, lines of pain, smeared with… what?
Sadness and relief.
“Kady, Black, are you two okay?” The Gundersons scurried to the part of the field she and Black were lying in.
Kady wasn’t quite ready to release her shield and the Gundersons ran right past them. She held Black tightly, partly for herself, but mostly because he’d gone as still as an ice statue.
Had that creature been his mother? Talk about a monster-in-law.
“Black.” Kady stroked his face and whispered to him.
A muscle ticked in his jaw and he continued to stare, or glare at the spot where the being, his mother, had disappeared.
“Come back to me now.” She whispered again and this time he heard her.
He blinked and let go of the breath he’d been holding. “Good work using your magic to defend us from the spectral warrior.”
This wasn’t her Black. The voice was distant and curt. The meaning behind the words sincere, but as if they were what he was expected to say.
This Black was a detached soldier.
He got to his feet and his action broke the shield. The only concession to indicate the man she’d made love to, was falling in love with, might already be in love with, was a hand to help her up.
“Black?” What was she supposed to say? Are you okay, didn’t even begin to cover it. If that was really his mother, there was a whole lot more going on here than she understood.
Hadn’t he said his mother had a farm?
Kady knew Black’s mission had to do with hunting down the spectral warriors and that he and his team needed to find a way to defeat them.
The spectrals were the bad guys. That thing had been part of the Dark Side, that she knew.
Chills ran down her neck and up her jaw. What if this was like a Skywalker family reunion. But, instead of Luke, I am your father, it was Black, I am your mother.
He didn’t respond to her at all, but instead walked across the field toward the houses. The Gunderson’s spun on their heels when they saw him and started trucking back.
They had to pass her to get to him and stopped to gather her along.
“You’ve got some powerful magic, pretty witch. Disappearing like that.” Margreth wagged her finger.
Kady frowned. Disappearing? “I just put up a shield that Black taught me.”
“Your shield made you invisible and injured the creature. We saw it dissipate, then reform, but it was weaker, both in form and energy.”
“It’s still here?” She ducked, hoping it wasn’t already attacking.
Sigar pointed to the hole in the sky that still glowed around the edges. “No, no, it flew back out the hole it had crashed through the wards.” He shook his head and tsked. “It was really gunning for you. Lucky you learned that shield or I think the two of you would be in a sorry state.”
She had learned more than a shield. Her magic had injured the spectral. If Black could help her learn more, maybe she could use it as a weapon instead.
She’d show those bully spectrals who was a badass.
Then maybe she could help Black and his team fight against them. She could stand up for the meek, since no one had ever stood up for her.
Except Black. He’d risked his life to save hers during the TFO attack, and he’d thrown himself between her and the attacking spectral. Her warrior bear had been ready to sacrifice himself for her.
If she had her way, he wouldn’t have to sacrifice ever again. She was done hiding from the world, trying to avoid the mean and scary things in the universe, letting them win.
Kady had her own powers now. She didn’t know exactly how they worked or what they could and couldn’t do. But, she knew with Black by her side she had a fighting chance for the first time in her life.
Now to convince him.
Black had retreated to where the container tiny homes had been, although only the one they had stayed in was still in the field. She couldn’t imagine what they Gunderson’s had done with the other ones, but that last container come tiny house was now on a trailer, and her truck, Herbie, was on a smaller trailer behind it.
Kady jogged across the field, her mind running through all the ways she could help Black’s team. She could throw up the shield around them all, she could learn to focus the shield into a sword…or a light saber.
She was definitely going to need Jedi robes, or a super suit. But, no cape. Capes were dangerous. Nothing spandex with stars and stripes was going anywhere near her butt either.
She found Black pacing, back and forth, back and forth, saying something under his breath. Swearing up a storm.
He didn’t seem to notice her, so she reached out and touched his arm. He jumped about a yard and the form of the bear shimmered for a moment.
He clenched his fists and took several deep breaths, the bear receded. He paced once again, angry energy shooting off him. “Kady. I’m sorry for fucking leaving you open and vulnerable like that. I’m an ass and shouldn’t have. You are mine to protect now.”
She didn’t need protecting so much anymore. “Maybe your mine to protect.”
Black stopped his pacing, grabbed her up and laid a good hard kiss on her. This wasn’t a possessive kiss, he had a need, some vulnerability.
Kady kissed him back, just as fiercely, trying to let him know she was there for him. He’d had a pretty harsh shock and she wanted to soothe him, take care of him.
The warm glow that came from deep inside of her surfaced and she concentrated on spreading it to Black, wrapping them both in its heat.
A shriek sounded from far above them, forcing them to break apart.
Margreth snagged her arm and pulled her toward their container house. Sigar did the same with Black. “Come on you two, inside. We’ve put up wards around the house so it should hold those nasty beings off for a little while.”
The four of them ran inside, and Sigar slammed the door behind them. Margreth waved her arms and said some words Kady didn’t recognize. A flash zipped through the building and then a series of crashes and screeches came from outside.
“The spectrals are attacking again. In force this time.” Black looked out the window at the exact moment something crashed into it. The glass remained untouched, but a small spider web of cracks formed a few centimeters off the side of the window.
Black slammed his hand against the wall, bear claws extending from the ends of his fingers. “Fuck. I can’t do a god-damned thing to fight them.”
She hated seeing Black feel so helpless. What she was about to say might make him feel even more so. She hoped not. But, she had to take the chance. For the first time in her life, she not only could do something to fight against the bad guys, she wanted too.
“I can.” At first her voice was only a whisper, but her soul wanted to shout. “I can fight them with my magic.”